


Smooth Sailing

by Jay_eagle



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Boats and Ships, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 14:03:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6378970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jay_eagle/pseuds/Jay_eagle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martin and Douglas put to sea... and Martin's sea-legs aren't all they should be. Douglas lends a hand (or two) to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smooth Sailing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hollyashes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyashes/gifts).



“I don’t like it, Douglas…” Martin stared down into the squid-ink blackness rippling to his left.

 

Douglas looked up in surprise. “Sea-sick?”

 

Martin frowned. “No.” He gripped the yacht’s rail a little tighter. “I’m just not… used to boats.”

 

“I’m sure the captain would rather you called her a _ship_.” Douglas ran a finger along the rail, then covered Martin’s hand with his own, bumping him affectionately with one hip.

 

Martin sighed, but tipped his head onto Douglas’ shoulder, the evening breeze ruffling his curls and tickling them against Douglas’ jaw. Douglas didn’t flinch away, breathing in the warm scent of Martin mingled with the sea-salt in the air. “Don’t laugh,” Martin said, after a moment.

 

Douglas grinned, but concealed the anticipatory humour in his voice. “At what?” he asked, innocently.

 

“I don’t like knowing…” Martin waggled a hesitant hand over the waves, as if invoking an ancient, potentially wrathful ocean god. “Knowing I’m not in command.”

 

Douglas stopped his snort just in time. “Oh,” he said, instead. “Do you not trust our captain, then?”

 

“Well, you read all about these maritime disasters,” Martin muttered, fretfully. “What if he’s too busy drinking tea to pay attention to any… reefs? Or sandbars? Or –“

 

“Martin, Martin.” Douglas wrapped an arm around Martin’s waist. “I think you’ll find the general public read far more about aviation disasters than accidents nautical. And I seem to recall you taking more than one tea break on our flight out, and yet you landed GERTI perfectly on Martha’s Vineyard not three hours ago.”

 

“I know, I know.” Martin wriggled uncertainly against Douglas’ side. “I just don’t like boats. Never have.”

 

“But –“ Douglas blinked. “You positively leapt at my idea of this excursion.” He turned Martin to face him, wanting to understand. “You should have said that you didn’t enjoy sailing.”

 

Martin shuffled his feet and muttered something unintelligible at the deck.

 

“What’s that?”

 

Martin exhaled, then met Douglas’ eyes. “I said I wanted to be with you. And you were so keen.”

 

“Oh.” Affection gushed up in Douglas as powerfully as the prow waves cresting at the bow ahead of them. “You silly thing,” he said, squeezing Martin’s waist. “I would have done something else, you know I would.”

 

“But Carolyn was coming, and I wanted to agree before she overheard and invited us to bring Arthur.” Martin still had the rail in a death-grip.

 

“Good point,” Douglas agreed, ruefully. “Here.” He stepped behind Martin, using his larger figure to cage Martin securely against the deck-guard. Martin shuddered as their yacht bumped over another boat’s wake, catching them both with the foamy spray. “You’re perfectly safe,” Douglas murmured.

 

“Hmm.” Martin relaxed slightly as Douglas rested his chin onto his shoulder, nosing at his ear for a second before dropping a kiss there. “Listen to the water,” Martin said, and Douglas took in the hiss and splash as their vessel cleaved a path through the wavelets.

 

“Relaxing, isn’t it?” Douglas breathed in steadily, trying to convey serenity despite Martin vibrating the same degree of tension as the sheets connecting the sails to the mast above.

 

“I was thinking more that it sounded… terrifying.” Martin seemed to realize the ridiculousness of his remark, though, breaking off with a half-laugh.

 

“No,” Douglas teased. “You’re fine.” He kissed the corner of Martin’s jaw. “Just look out at the horizon.”

 

“It’s almost dark,” Martin pointed out. “How can you _see_ the horizon?”

 

“Trained pilot’s eyes,” Douglas lied, smoothly. “Fine. Look up above.”

 

Martin inclined his head back, and Douglas heard his indrawn breath. “Oh,” Martin murmured, taking in the blanket of stars winking into view above them as their sunset cruise tacked to head back to port. “Oh, _Douglas_.”

 

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Douglas congratulated himself as Martin relaxed back against him, attention off the ocean for the first time the entire trip.

 

“Just look at it.” Martin stared upwards. “It’s incredible.”

 

“No light pollution,” Douglas said, his eyes tracking across the constellations above them, bending his knees automatically as the ship rolled with an incoming wave. He sought out the familiar shapes, and pointed, aiming to keep Martin distracted. “There’s the Plough, see it?”

 

“Yes.” Martin tensed slightly as another swell bounced them, and Douglas hastily carried smoothly on, focusing hard on what he could find.

 

“Well, if you look just below the Plough, that backwards question mark – see? – that’s Leo, the lion’s head, in profile.”

 

“I didn’t know that,” Martin said, angling his head to take it in. “Does it have a body?” he asked, after a moment.

 

“Yes.” Douglas pointed out the stars. “There’s Regulus, the heart of the lion. And follow it backwards – there – and you’ll find his tail.”

 

“I see.” Martin was completely relaxed, now, and even turned his back on the sea, twisting round in Douglas’ arms to better look at where Douglas was gesturing.

 

Douglas’ attention was immediately drawn away from the sky, his gaze falling to Martin’s face below his, the starlight reflected as pinpoints of light in his sea-blue eyes. “Beautiful,” Douglas said.

 

“It is,” Martin agreed.

 

“Not the constellation.” Douglas didn’t wait for Martin to parse his meaning, pulling Martin gently to kiss him instead – grateful for the cloak of darkness now hiding them from their fellow passengers. Martin’s lips were salt-sweet against his, the ocean wind sending little droplets to shower them, and yet not disturbing their embrace one iota.

 

The boat bumped against wood with a jolt, though, and Martin yelped, abruptly tense again as he turned this way and that to find the cause of their imminent shipwreck. Douglas laughed. “Calm, calm,” he soothed. “We’re just docking.”

 

“We’re back?” Martin sounded bewildered. “But… but… I was enjoying it!”

 

“You were?” Douglas raised an eyebrow in spite of himself, still thrilling to the warmth of Martin against him. “I’d have sworn otherwise, twenty minutes ago.” He could hear the tramp of feet on wood, their fellow passengers traipsing over the deck to get to the pontoon.

 

“No.” Martin leant upwards, taking Douglas by surprise with a swift peck on the cheek. “I wasn’t… but then you started talking, damn it.” He grinned.

 

Douglas returned the smile. “Well, the evening doesn’t have to end here,” he pointed out.

 

“It doesn’t?” Martin took his hand as they followed the noise of the disembarking tourists.

 

“No.” Douglas deftly negotiated Martin around a metal cleat. “There’s a rather pleasant cliff top walk that way… if you want to do some more stargazing?”

 

Martin stepped clumsily onto the quayside, nearly tripping, and Douglas used the excuse to catch him and pull him close again, the sailors behind them forgotten. “I do,” Martin said, and there was a gleam in his eyes that Douglas didn’t think had anything to do with starlight. “Excellent plan. Lead on.”

 

As bidden, Douglas did.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr - jay-eagle.tumblr.com :)


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